Harry Potter and the Justice League Dark
by Advent of Shadows
Summary: A month and a half has passed since Checkmate's dissolution, and the Age of Heroes has officially begun. But the Age of Heroes heralds more than just the coming of heroes. Where there is light, there will always be darkness. To survive the coming trials and tribulations, heroes will have no choice but to unite and stand together. Book 2 of the Emrys Saga.
1. Surprises

Summary: A month and a half has passed since Checkmate's dissolution, and the Age of Heroes has officially begun. But the Age of Heroes heralds more than just the coming of heroes. Where there is light, there will always be darkness. To survive the coming trials and tribulations, heroes will have no choice but to unite and stand together.

Primary Pairing: Harry/Zatanna/?

Secondary Pairings: Superman/Wonder Woman, and others will be added here later.

Notes: This story is Book 2 of the Saga of Emrys. Can it be read before reading the first book? Yes. Should it? Not really. I would not recommend it, anyways.

It should be noted that this story is less of a Harry/Smallville crossover than its predecessor was. I view this as a DC world of my creation instead of a crossover of two different worlds, but I still feel I should bring this up because of the simple fact that the Smallville tv series ended the day that Clark Kent became Superman. In this story, Clark became Superman much earlier, not to mention that Season 9 has basically been voided and Season 10 won't happen anything like it did in canon, even though Darkseid will eventually show up. I'll stop saying what's different and just get the point across. The focus of the story in Smallville was on Smallville and Metropolis. The focus of my first story was primarily Metropolis. But the focus of this story is going to have a much wider range.

Warning: This story, like its predecessor, will contain scenes that would be rated MA. I will mark the scenes before the first line and after the last line to give you a heads up.

* * *

**1. Surprises**

-_May 1, 2007_

A month and a half had passed since the creation of Marauder Industries, and it had already begun to show promise.

It was not a well known business yet, but Marauder Industries had become heavily involved in local agriculture, the manufacture of all natural remedies, and the management of other companies.

They owned over a dozen small businesses, including the Talon in Smallville. Perhaps their most successful businesses were Sirius Energy and Marauder's Joke Emporium. The former had quickly become the number one producer of energy drinks in Metropolis, and the latter had quickly become the best place in the state to get joking and pranking supplies for all ages.

Incidentally, those two businesses were actually rooted in the magical world. Sirius Energy sold small bottles of Invigoration Potions that had natural flavors mixed in. And Marauder's Joke Emporium was actually a branch of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

The businesses that Marauder Industries owned actually produced more profits than they did, but as the FDA approved more natural remedies and more products were being prepared, things looked like they would soon change.

Harry was actually headed to the small office that Marauder Industries was currently based at. While they had made a fortune compared to other new businesses, Harry had still put far more into the company than they had made so far. They never expected to be an overnight success though.

"Hello Harry," Tess greeted as he entered her office. "I was not aware that you were coming over today."

A hint of worry could be seen in her eyes, but Harry chose not to utilize Legilimency to see what she was thinking. He had been trying to break that habit when it was not absolutely necessary.

"I'm not here about Marauder Industries," Harry told her immediately. "But in a way, I am here to talk to you about our partnership."

"I'm listening," she said, giving him her undivided attention. Their partnership had been mutually beneficial so far, especially because of Sirius Energy. To that date, Tess had not been told how or where it was made. She had the bottles and labels stored at a factory and he handled everything else.

"How much did they pay you?" Harry asked, looking her in the eyes. He would be able to tell if she lied to him, but that was the extent of his active Passive Legilimency. "Not LuthorCorp. I mean Checkmate."

The way Tess froze was a sign of how unexpected the question had been.

"According to my sources, you joined Checkmate around a month after you starting working for LuthorCorp. They wanted to know what Lex found out about aliens," Harry said, startling her further. "I can go back home and get my copies of the files that were downloaded from Checkmate's mainframe when the Castle was destroyed if you'd like."

"Who are you?" Tess asked, her eyes wide. "I've always known that you had access to information that anyone else would give their right eye for, but to get those files…."

"A few acquaintances of mine were involved in the destruction of the facility," Harry told her honestly. There was no reason for lies when half truths would work. "I've known about you since the day after Checkmate was shut down."

"I believed that I was helping my country and the world by agreeing to work for Checkmate, but I did not even check in with the higher-ups in over a year. Before they called to explain what happened and inform me that my services were not longer needed, at least," Tess explain, her eyes not wavering in the slightest.

"The highway to hell was paved with good intentions," Harry told her. "But I'm not here to condemn any choices you've made. I just want to be clear about something. You don't have to support _vigilantes_ or be glad that they are free of government control. However, this partnership will end if you decide to join another organization or agency with similar goals. If there is any doubt in your mind about the nature of a group, I will listen to what you have to say though."

"And how would you end this partnership?" she asked in surprise. "You already put most of your money into Marauder Industries. I doubt you would just walk away from it now."

"I could always sell my part of the company to Lionel Luthor or Oliver Queen. If Zatanna sold her part to the same person, then you would lose the authority that you have in the company," Harry pointed out. "Besides, Sirius Energy is too dependent on me for you to continue it if I left."

She had the distinct feeling that he had another plan in place in case something like that happened. There was no doubt in her mind that he would keep a hold of Marauder Industries no matter what.

"I will not be taking another job so long as I have this one," Tess promised.

"That's good to hear," Harry told her. "In that case, you should enjoy yourself. I need to head back home. There's nothing more that we need to discuss right this moment."

Tess simply nodded her head and watched Harry depart.

* * *

After reaching the Sanctum, Harry immediately made his way to the house that was less than half a mile away from the tower.

Zatanna did not need any distractions at the moment, so he thought he would see how Andromeda and Tedy were doing. As he neared the house, he heard Andromeda's voice.

"Harry, there's something I need to tell you."

Those words never predated good things, like winning the lottery, discovering Merlin's staff, or suddenly obtaining Kryptonian powers. They always came before bad news.

"What is it?" he asked in a resigned tone.

"Every year, Bill and Fleur visit on the anniversary of the battle. They know that I lost my daughter and her husband on that day, not to mention that you _died_ on the one year anniversary of that day," Andromeda began.

"And you thought they wouldn't visit after you moved to Kansas, but you just found out that they plan to come tomorrow?" Harry guessed. Honestly, it was not the worst news that she could have had for him.

"That's right," Andromeda confirmed. "They will be arriving at the airport in Metropolis tonight."

"I better be there to pick them up then," Harry said, shaking his head.

Those words astounded her.

"But I thought we were keeping your survival a secret?" she asked in confusion.

"We are," Harry confirmed. "However, do you honestly think that Bill Weasley isn't going to notice the wards? They may be powered by the ley lines, but there is enough of my magic in the wards that he will notice. And if he didn't notice, we have Fleur. She is more attuned to magic than most because of her heritage. She's even more familiar with my magic than he is."

"Perhaps Zatanna should pick them up," Andromeda suggested. His reasoning did make sense to her, but it did not sound like a great idea for a supposedly dead person to pick them up from the airport.

"I see why you think she should," Harry admitted. "If Zee is up to it, she can, but she's been tired lately."

Two weeks ago, she had started learning alchemy. She had made considerable progress in the art, though she had only just begun. She had confessed that part of her was interested in the art simply because Flamel's notes included the details on how to create the Philosopher's Stone, though she seemed genuinely interested after she began learning.

"How are things going with you two?" Andromeda asked curiously.

"Just fine," Harry answered, smiling. They had grown much closer recently. Zatanna actually moved in with him, though they had not proclaimed their love for each other or anything else of that nature.

They moved on to lighter topics after that.

* * *

It was a few minutes past seven, and Zatanna was waiting outside the airport by Harry's Mustang. It was not typically a roomy car, but Harry had magically modified it recently.

As a result, it was actually easily capable of carrying four adults in the back seat, along with all their luggage in the trunk. Harry had also placed the necessary charms on the car to block out magical interference so that he did not accidentally fry the electronics while driving.

Not that it was a danger for Zatanna even without the charms.

Whereas Harry wielded more raw power than anyone Zatanna had ever met, she was merely above average in that area.

She soon saw who she was waiting on.

There were three adults and two young girls.

The first of the adults was a tall, thin man with shoulder length red hair and scars on his face. Though he easily fit in among non-magical people with his clothes, Zatanna could tell that his boots were made of dragon hide. He looked to be in his early thirties at most.

The second of the adults was a breathtakingly beautiful woman with a pony tail of silvery blonde hair and deep blue eyes. She appeared to be tall and willowy, and her gait could only be described as graceful, almost as if she was sliding. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties at the latest.

The third of the adults looked very similar to the second. Whereas the second had slightly angular facial features, the third's were softer and slightly rounder. In addition to that, she was a few inches shorter, had darker eyes, and had free flowing hair that fell to her waist. She appeared to be eighteen or nineteen at the latest.

From a glance, Zatanna could see that the little girls looked like a perfect blend of the first two. One of them looked as though she was six or seven years old, while the other was no older than four years old.

"Are you Bill Weasley and his family?" Zatanna asked as they neared the car.

"Yes, we are," the redheaded man replied with a smile. "I assume Andromeda sent you. I'm Bill Weasley, and these are Fleur, Gabrielle, Victoire, and Dominique." He gestured to the first woman, the second woman, the little girl that was walking with them, and the little girl that was in the arms of the first woman as he spoke.

"Andy's told me all about you. Unfortunately, I can't say that I've been told about Gabrielle," Zatanna told him, glancing at the young woman.

"She's my sister-in-law," Bill explained before he looked at Zatanna curiously. "By knowing everything, I assume you are a…"

"I'm not exactly like you, but rest assured to say that we are similar in certain ways," Zatanna interjected, knowing what he was getting at. "If you'll put your luggage in the trunk and get in the car, I'll take you to Andy's house. It's been expanded, so you won't have a problem.

Bill loaded their luggage into the trunk while Fleur, Gabrielle, and the girls got into the backseat. Once he was done, he took the passenger seat.

"This is different," he said when Zatanna got into the car. "I've never been inside an American car before."

"I think that's why my boyfriend prefers motorcycles. It still catches him off guard sometimes," Zatanna said with a smile as she started the car and began to drive away from the airport.

"Does he know about you?" Fleur asked curiously from the backseat.

Bill, on the other hand, had a guarded expression, reminding Zatanna of the fact that Harry believed that Bill could detect his magical signature and recognize it. He had personally enchanted the car they were in too.

"He does," Zatanna confirmed. "I'm not a witch though. Not exactly, at least. What do you know of Homo Magi?"

"What are Homo Magi?" Fleur asked, and Gabrielle's expression showed that she had the same reaction.

"Homo Magi are another type of magic users that rarely use focuses or the types of spells that we use. I've heard that they separated from wizards and witches after the ICW passed the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. They were either exiled or went into self-exile. Regardless, they stopped using wands to perform their spells," Bill explained.

"You're well informed, Zatanna remarked.

"I work for the goblins, so I've heard a few of their stories before," Bill replied, shaking his head. That seemed to be answer enough.

"Are you part of the wizarding community, or do Homo Magi have their own?" Fleur asked in interest.

"Neither," Zatanna answered. "There is no wizarding community in the United States. There used to be, but they reintegrated with the non-magical community about five years ago at the behest of the Department of Magical Affairs. Since they are not part of the ICW, I doubt that information has gotten out though."

That was clearly news to them.

"And while I do know a few Homo Magi, we are all spread across the country. We do not have a community," Zatanna added.

"It's like day and night compared to England and France," Bill remarked.

"That's what I've been told," Zatanna said, thinking about all that Harry had said to her.

"Is that why Emrys and Arcana can do what they do without being arrested?" Gabrielle asked, bringing up a matter that Zatanna had been waiting for.

"In part," Zatanna said, trying to be careful about what she said.

Harry had actually encountered representatives of the Department of Magical Affairs recently. They had actually come to ask him not to attack anymore government agencies, with or without provocation. Apparently, they did not care about him using magic as Emrys because it showed that magic could be used for good. Truly exposing the hidden aspects of the world was not something that they wanted, however, so they cautioned him to be careful who he spoke with about such things.

"The fact remains that Emrys and Arcana are recognized as superheroes by the people of Metropolis. They aren't as active now as they were a couple months ago, but with Superman and Supergirl around, they aren't needed as much," Zatanna continued.

"Superheroes? Superman? Supergirl? I'm afraid I don't understand." Bill asked in confusion. His tone was mirrored on Fleur and Gabrielle's faces.

Zatanna barely held in her laughter. Apparently, the wizarding world had no idea what was going on in the non-magical world.

"Superhero is a term that was refers to super-powered or masked vigilantes. The ones that don't resort to killing, at least," Zatanna explained. "At first, the only people that were given the title were Emrys and Arcana, but they only received the titles after they saved a number of lives from a flood. A month and a half ago, the others began to surface. In Metropolis, you have Superman, Supergirl, and Doctor Fate. In Star City, you have Green Arrow, Black Canary, Valkyrie, and Cyborg. In Gotham, you have Batman and Robin. In Central City, you have Impulse. There are others out there, but you get the idea. They all use powers or technology to deal with criminals and save lives.

What she failed to mention was that there were plenty of other unrecognized superheroes out there. The Martian Manhunter and Miss Martian were two such heroes, though they needed to maintain a low profile simply because aliens were still believed to be a myth by most.

Apart from people in their situation, there were also teams of heroes that most people were unaware of.

The Justice Society of America actually worked throughout a good portion of Kansas, but they kept a low profile and spent at least half their time training the new generation.

And New York City had the Teen Titans, a group that was to bridge the gap between sidekick and hero, though its only full-time members were currently Red Arrow, Kid Flash, Cyclone, and Static. During the summer months, others would join them, but getting parents to allow their teen children to move to New York City year round was not an easy task. They were actually looked after by the second Red Tornado, an android created by Dr. Morrow of S.T.A.R. Labs.

"Have you ever met any of the heroes?" Gabrielle asked, actually sounding somewhat excited.

"I met Emrys when I first came to town, but I haven't needed the help of the others," Zatanna answered, careful not to make it too obvious that she had avoided answering the actual question.

"What was he like?" Gabrielle asked.

"Emrys is an interesting man. I have never met anyone with as much raw power as he possesses," Zatanna replied. "But I don't need as much power for what I do. I actually work as a stage magician here in Metropolis. I use a small amount of genuine magic and rely on sleight of hand and optical illusions for the rest."

"That's an interesting way to make a living," Bill said.

They stayed lighter topics for the rest of the drive home.

* * *

Around eight o'clock, they arrived at Andromeda's home. She greeted them outside of the house, but she was not alone. Harry was standing next to her and using his ring to turn invisible. Teddy was standing on the other side of her, holding her hand.

"Andromeda, it's nice to see you again," Fleur greeted, hugging the older woman. Her accent had almost completely disappeared. If not for Harry's familiarity with her, he would not have caught it at all.

"It's good to see you all too," Andromeda said in return. "I must admit that I had no idea that you'd be bringing Gabrielle along with you."

"Sorry about that," Bill apologized. Gabrielle actually looked a little embarrassed. "She's wanted to come to America for a couple years now. Given the chance, we couldn't say no."

"It's fine," Andromeda said. "We can make room for you all. You and Fleur can have the guest room, and we can make arrangements so that there's room for the girls in Teddy's room and Gabrielle in my room."

"Or they can stay in the Sanctum," Zatanna interjected, sending an apologetic look towards Harry. Though she could not see him, she knew where he would have been standing.

She did not know it, but he had been about to turn visible and suggest that very thing.

"Are you sure?" Andromeda asked, glancing towards where Harry had been standing earlier.

"I am. It'll make things easier," Zatanna answered.

"The Sanctum? That must be the source of the wards around the place," Bill commented. "They were clearly done by an amateur in the art, but what they lack in finesse is made up in raw power. I'd recognize the magical signature that constructed the wards anywhere too. Would you mind explaining to me how a dead man warded this place?"

Andromeda and Zatanna froze, while Fleur and Gabrielle looked confused. They had not been paying attention to the wards or magical signatures.

"I'm afraid the rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated," Harry stated as he became visible. "It's good to see you Bill. You too, Fleur and Gabrielle."

"Harry?" Fleur asked in a whisper. Gabrielle looked too dumbstruck to say that much.

"It's amazing how resilient you are. Killing Curses and the Veil of Death are just minor hindrances for you, Harry," Bill remarked, smiling. "So mind telling me how you survived this time? Or how you stopped aging?"

"That's a good question. The short answer is that the Veil didn't work right on me. Instead, it sent me to an interdimensional prison, where I spent seven and a half years before I hitched a ride out of there," Harry answered, reaching over to his left arm and removing his original wand from the invisible wand holster. "But this should be proof enough that I am who I say I am." He tossed the wand to Bill as he finished speaking.

"It's good to see you again, Harry," Bill said as he caught the wand.

Harry turned his attention to the girls and saw that Gabrielle had just begun to faint as everything hit her. His ring glowed and her telekinetically caught her before she could fall to the ground.

The raw power that he used startled Bill and Fleur.

"Emrys," they whispered in unison.

Harry looked like he wanted to facepalm and Zatanna looked sheepish. She just had to give them a hint that helped them put his identity together.

* * *

Explaining to Bill, Fleur, and Gabrielle what had happened without revealing too many details had been difficult. Only two secret identities had been revealed during the explanation, Harry's and Zatanna's. Both had been suspected at the very least, however. Harry's possession of the united Deathly Hallows, on the other hand, remained a secret.

When he was finished, there were naturally questions.

"Who saved you from that _Phantom Zone_?" Bill asked.

"Believe it or not, it was Superman," Harry replied with a laugh.

"So which heroes do you two actually know?" Fleur asked, her eyes lingering on Zatanna. She had dodged the question earlier.

"Superman, Supergirl, the Martian Manhunter, Miss Martian, Doctor Fate, Green Arrow, Impulse, Cyborg, Aquaman, Black Canary, Valkyrie, the Star-Spangled Kid, Stripesy, Hawkman, and the Green Lantern. I also met Red Arrow, while Zatanna knows Batman," Harry answered without even pausing to think about it.

"Why did you decide to stick around and be a superhero instead of returning home?" Gabrielle asked. Though her English was fluent, she still had a noticeable accent. It just did not make it difficult to understand her.

"I _did_ return. I saw Andromeda, Teddy, and Kingsley. But I felt that my place was not there anymore, so I came back here and decided to do some good. I'll admit that I was also running from my past, but the important thing was that I could use my powers for good."

It was easy to tell that they did not entirely agree with his decision, but they did not argue against it.

"Do you plan on revealing that you're still alive to Ron or Ginny?" Bill asked after a moment of silence.

"From what I've heard, Ron and Ginny are happy with things as they are. They don't need old wounds being reopened," Harry replied, shaking his head.

"It might be for the best if Ginny doesn't know," Fleur agreed. "It took her years to get over her feelings for Harry, and we would not want those feelings to be brought back to the surface."

Bill nodded his head and did not argue on that matter. He did not stay quiet though. "I wouldn't say that Ron and Hermione are happy though. They were happy when they got married, and even with the ups and downs, things went well until recently. Back when she found out she was pregnant, she went to see him after practice one day. She caught him with one of his fans. We only found out after Rose was born in November that they had quietly split up. They didn't want word of it getting to the Daily Prophet. Shortly after they told us, they got a divorce and Hermione moved to London with Rose."

Harry's eyes widened at that. He could not believe that Ron had cheated on Hermione or that their relationship was over like that.

"How did the rest of the family take it?" Harry asked, looking down.

"They were all pretty upset with Ron, but Hermione's decision to raise Rose away from the family upset both of my parents quite a bit. They can't do anything about it though. If they did, word would get out relatively fast, and that would embarrass everyone," Bill explained.

"I won't be telling Ron that I'm still alive," Harry told Bill flatly, anger flashing in his eyes. Hermione was like a sister to him. Even if Ron had been his best friend, he was not about to forgive him so easily.

"You don't have to," Bill said. No signs of disagreement were evident in his eyes. If anything, he looked as if he approved. "You should offer her the same chance that you offered Andy and Teddy though. If anyone could use a fresh start, it's her. And I'll admit that I would like to see my nephew grow up with more than just a loving mother."

"I will pay her a visit after you guys leave," Harry promised.

Bill and Fleur both look happy to hear it.

Harry looked at Andromeda and said, "Let the girls take the guest room. Bill, Fleur, and Gabrielle can stay in the Sanctum."

"Very well," Andromeda said before clearing her throat. "The Sanctum is located in the center of this property."

"Is that the Fidelius Charm?" Bill asked, having experienced it before.

"Yes, I am the caster and Andromeda is the secret keeper," Harry confirmed.

"You've come a long ways since we first met," Bill commented.

"Yes, he has," Gabrielle whispered under her breath, a slight blush on her cheeks.

Only Bill seemed to notice it thanks to the latent abilities that he had gained when Fenrir Greyback attacked him ten years earlier.

Nothing more was said as Fleur put the girls to bed and Harry led everyone to the Sanctum.

* * *

Author's Note: This came out a day later than it should have, but I've been too tired lately to get in as much writing as I should. But here it is.

I have not yet decided if I will end this story before the completion of Harry's tale, but you can expect more action, greater enemies, and more characters (from DC and HP) to show up in this installment either way.

Also, I am currently only using a working title for this story. I believe that the current title should explain a great deal to anyone that reads the New 52 comics though. I may or may not change it, so be warned.

Just in case you're curious, I've put the ages of the characters that appeared in this chapter below this line. Victoire's birthday is the day after this chapter ended, so her age isn't accurate next chapter.

Andromeda Tonks-54  
Bill Weasley- 36  
Fleur Delacour- 30  
Tess Mercer- 28  
Harry Potter- 27 (Physically: 19)  
Zatanna Zatara- 23  
Gabrielle Delacour- 21  
Teddy Lupin- 9  
Victoire Weasley- 6  
Dominique Weasley- 4

Thanks for reading.


	2. Reunion

Note: If you read Chapter 1 prior to the posting of this Chapter, you may want to re-read Bill's conversation with Harry. I did a major edit to it. Previously, I had crippled Ron through a broom accident. Now, Ron and Hermione are separated after Ron was caught cheating on Hermione. That's all I need to say here.

**2. Reunion**

"I'm impressed," Bill remarked the next morning as he examined the Sanctum's wards. "For someone with absolutely no experience in warding, you did well. I imagine you had help thanks to the Resurrection Stone."

Harry looked surprised that Bill knew that he had one of the Deathly Hallows.

"Only my parents, George, Charlie, and I were told that you were the Master of Death. Ron and Hermione had believed that it would keep the Veil from killing you. But after a year had passed and no sign of you was found, they started to mourn," Bill explained.

Harry did not know what to say. That was why he was glad that Bill changed the subject.

"If you ever need any warding done, I can do it for you," Bill offered. "I used to be a Curse Breaker, as you know. After Victoire was born, I became a Warder for Gringotts since it was safer and I already knew all about wards. I could at least double the potency of your wards, along with the runes that you used when you made this place."

"So if I needed someone to ward a similar structure and make all the runes, you'd be able to?" Harry asked, looking for confirmation.

"Yes, I could. Though, I couldn't do it for free because of the contract I signed with Gringotts," Bill explained.

"I'll contact Gringotts then," Harry decided. "The Sanctum is not going to be in use as a headquarters too much longer. It's being repurposed as Sanctuary. I'm also building four more structures that I'll need warded at the very least."

"You have a plan, I assume?" Bill asked, seeing the look in his eyes.

"Yes, I do," Harry answered. "Back in the seventies, fifteen heroes came together and formed the Justice Society of America. Together, they were able to do more than any single person could by themselves. Around four months ago, Green Arrow had a similar idea and has since added Impulse, Cyborg, Aquaman, Doctor Fate, Black Canary, Valkyrie, Superman, Supergirl, the Martian Manhunter, and Miss Martian to his team. I helped start up a team called the Teen Titans that has three year round members and around nine more that will join them during June and July. At best, I'm a reserve member of the JSA and the League, while I have had no dealings with the Team Titans since I pitched the idea to the other teams."

"If you wanted to be a full member of a team, couldn't you do that?" Bill asked curiously.

"I could," Harry confirmed. "I don't want to be a full member, however. I was just trying to give you an idea of how the teams are and how I'm not completely involved in one."

"And the only reasons that you would have for not being involved are that you prefer to work alone… or you are forming your own team," Bill stated.

"Yes," Harry answered, looking him in the eyes. "But it isn't a simple team. Why form my own team if it was just like the other teams? I don't care about leading a team normally, especially since I have enough influence to get Green Arrow to pass the position of leader on to Superman if I really wanted to. My team would be different. We would only be involved in magical threats. Apart from any patrolling we do as individuals or actions that are committed as part of another team, at least."

"In other words, we're talking about a team that would intervene if another Dark Lord arose," Bill speculated.

"That would be one thing that we would intervene in," Harry admitted. "But in addition to dark wizards, it would also include vampires, werewolves, dragons, and other beings of a magical nature that are causing problems."

"You're going to piss off the ICW," Bill said in amusement.

"I will," Harry agreed. "But first, I need to set up Godric's Sanctum, the White Tower, the Black Tower, and the Vault, along with repurposing the Sanctum as Sanctuary."

"When will the first structure be ready?" Bill asked, becoming more professional.

"By the end of the month, I'll have them all built," Harry told him.

"I'd recommend that you only build the structures at first. Let Fleur do the charm work on them. She's amazing at it. Then, contact Gringotts with a request that I do some warding for you. I can do all the warding and runes on the structures, and they won't even ask what you had me do or where the warded property even is," Bill suggested.

"I'll do that, if your wife doesn't mind helping me, at least," Harry said. It did sound like a good idea, after all.

"I'll talk to her about it," Bill told him.

And he did talk to her shortly after that.

Harry was caught off guard by what Fleur told him after they were done talking.

"I will do any charm work you need on the structures that Bill mentioned. But I want something in return. My sister hasn't asked, but she wants to stay here. She will need a job though."

Harry understood immediately. While she appeared to be intelligent, her unfamiliarity with the non-magical world and the fact that the paper trail on her would only show her as being a high school graduate would work against her.

"I can get her a job. There are two jobs that come to mind," he had told her.

The smile on Fleur's face was enough to know that their deal would go through.

However, they did not talk more on the subject for the rest of the day. Apparently, it was Victoire's seventh birthday.

* * *

That night, Harry and Zatanna suited up and headed up to the roof of the Sanctum so that Harry could apparate them to Metropolis, but they ran into Bill and Fleur on the roof.

Fleur took one look at them and seemed to grow deep in thought. Without saying a word, she headed back inside, looking like a woman on a mission.

"What just happened?" Harry asked in bewilderment.

"That was a look of hers that I'm always glad to avoid. It means that she's going to design new clothes for you," Bill told them with a grin. "It could be bad, or it could be good. You'll know soon enough."

And with those words, he followed after her.

Shaking his head, Harry apparated away with Zatanna.

When they arrived in Metropolis, she looked at him with a frown.

"What's wrong?" he asked immediately.

"We need to talk about your new employee," Zatanna told him seriously. "I saw how she looked at you during her niece's party, and it doesn't help that she's one of the most beautiful women I've ever met."

"She's part veela," Harry told her. Apparently, that was the last thing she had expected to hear. "I told you about the Triwizard Tournament already. She's liked me since the second stage, though she was only eight years old at the time. I wouldn't worry about her for now."

That seemed to reassure her, so she just took a deep breath.

"Now, let's get started," he said as he removed the police scanner from his pocket. It was time to start his work for the night. It would be another short night for them, but that was to be expected ever since Superman and Supergirl had taken on active roles as heroes.

* * *

Bill and his family ended up leaving the day after Victoire's birthday. Fleur had still not come to Harry about what had been on her mind the previous night, but Zatanna was another story. Unfortunately, all she would tell Harry was that it was a surprise.

Shortly after they left, Harry decided to have a talk with Gabrielle about his deal with Fleur. She already knew about the deal, but there was still much to discuss.

"Okay, so why don't you tell me what kind of job you'd like," Harry suggested.

She seemed surprised at the question. "I assumed I'd be helping you in your night job," she admitted, blushing slightly.

"As Emrys?" he asked, laughing when she nodded her head. "No one gets paid for that type of work. I probably forgot to mention it to you, but I co-founded a company called Marauder Industries. Marauder Industries is a diverse company that has its roots in the muggle and wizarding worlds. The other co-founder has no idea that magic exists though. Not beyond speculation, at least."

"I don't really have any talents that would help me in the muggle world," she said with a downtrodden look.

"I might be able to get you a gig as a secretary for the other co-founder, but you'll need to completely understand the muggle world first. In the mean time, I could get you a job working with Andromeda. Officially, you'd be working for Sirius Energy. It's a subsidiary of Marauder Industries that produces energy drinks. Well, I suppose the proper name is _energy shots_. It's just flavored Invigoration Draught. Each fifty milliliter bottle sells for five dollars. A single cauldron of Invigoration Draught can fill two hundred bottles. All I ask is that you make fifty cauldrons a week. For that, you will be paid five thousand dollars a month," Harry told her.

It was a high amount of pay for brewing a fifth year potion, but that amounted to two hundred cauldrons or forty thousand bottles a month. As it took about half an hour to brew a single cauldron, it would not be too hard to actually brew either.

"Is there any way you would let me work with you at night as well?" she asked, determination clear in her eyes.

"To work with Emrys, you'll need me to train you," Harry told her matter-of-factly. "But in order for me to train you, you'll need to show enough of a work ethic that I'm impressed. Now, why don't you have Andromeda show you to the potion lab so you can get to work."

She left in a hurry, almost as if she could not wait to show him that she could work hard.

Rising to his feet, Harry took a deep breath. He inhaled and exhaled a few times slowly.

Suddenly, flames engulfed his form and he disappeared.

* * *

Harry reappeared at his destination. Much like portkey, flame travel could cover a vast distance with little to no negative effects on the user.

He was standing in one of the worst possible places that a person could visit. The place he had come to was located somewhere in the northern half of Canada. Thanks to the bitter cold and the permafrost that covered the ground, no one would come to the place.

Before his eyes, a building composed of solid dark gray stone appeared.

He walked over to the building and cut his right hand open with a simple spell. He pressed his bloody hand against the wall and watched as the wall opened. It was created with the entrance to Diagon Alley and the cave where Slytherin's Locket was originally kept in mind.

Walking into it the building, Harry watched as the wall closed behind him.

He had called it the Vault. Hidden on land that no one would want to own by the Fidelius Charm with Zatanna as the secret keeper with lead shielding along the inner walls, the Vault was nearly impossible to find. The glass cases that had originally been in the second library of the Sanctum had been moved to the Vault, along with all of Harry's Kryptonite. Within the Vault, he had access to the green, red, blue, gold, and black variants of the radioactive rock. A number of cursed items had been placed away in the Vault recently. He had actually gone to Knockturn Alley just to get the cursed items. Sometimes, items of that nature were invaluable to have, even if he never intended to use them.

He walked over to one of the glass cases. Inside that glass case, there were a few mementos of his past. Tom Riddle's Diary, Marvolo's Ring, Hufflepuff's Cup, Slytherin's Locket, Ravenclaw's Diadem, and a tooth from Nagini. They were items that he had kept hidden away inside Grimmauld Place after the war ended. He had not repaired any of the former horcruxes, though he could easily do so.

"Maybe I should get Bill to look them over and see if it's safe," Harry said as he turned to leave. He would not mind having the cup, locket, and diadem repaired and placed in Godric's Sanctum. Then, all he would be lacking was something of Godric Gryffindor's, but Harry doubted that taking the sword from Hogwarts would be a smart decision.

Walking out of the Vault, Harry used flame travel again to instantly arrive at his next destination.

* * *

Harry was walking down the streets of London not long later. He had flame traveled to Grimmauld Place and then chose to walk towards Hermione's place of residence. He was cloaked by his ring's power, so no one would be able to see him at all.

He activated his Mage Sight as he made his way to her door. Though he could not see through walls with it, he could sense magic when it was active. He only sensed two sources of magic. One was Hermione and the other was an infant.

He turned visible and knocked on the door.

He did not have long to wait. Hermione opened the door in less than a minute. She had left her daughter in the house and appeared to be discretely fingering her wand.

Upon seeing who was at the door, she froze.

"Hello Hermione," he greeted with a smile.

He suppressed a groan as he saw her lash out, her fist moving towards his face. His training with the spirit of Jor-El had actually given him impressive hand-to-hand combat skills. However, one of the many rules that he had learned over the years was never to dodge a woman's slap or punch. It just made the next one hurt more.

He did lean his head back though, allowing her to make contact but without it being a solid punch.

"I deserved that," he admitted, wiping his eyes. Though he had lessened the force of her punch, it was still enough to make his eyes water.

"Where have you been?" she asked, tears in her eyes.

"Let's talk about it inside," Harry said. The last thing he needed was it to be said in public.

She allowed him to enter the house to explain. He took that as a good sign.

"Muffliato," he whispered under his breath, pointing a finger at the front door.

"It really is you, isn't it?" she asked.

"Don't worry. I'm not dead… or worse, expelled," Harry joked. It was not something she found funny, but it was all the confirmation she needed.

"When I pushed Neville out of the way of Bellatrix's curse, I was knocked through the Veil," he told her with a grimace. "Maybe the Master of Death can't perish if he falls through the Veil. Maybe the Deathly Hallows can't pass through the Veil to the other side. Maybe Death intervened because my life is entertainment for him. I don't know."

Hermione looked surprised to hear that. It was similar to her theory.

"All I know is that I woke up in a desert wasteland known as the Phantom Zone. For seven and a half years, I was trapped in an intergalactic prison with criminals that made Voldemort look like a shoplifter. And to make matters worse, I had no access to my magic while I was in there. Items with innate magic like the Hallows and the Map worked, but I didn't have a magic weapon," Harry continued. "Fighting for your life for seven years without your powers and with only the spirits of the dead to talk to… let's just say that it got me in touch with my darker side and left me a little fucked up."

"How did you escape?" Hermione asked. She wanted to ask if he had lost it during his absence, but she knew him better than that.

"Last year on the twenty-ninth day of September, I saw a young man in the Phantom Zone. His father built the Phantom Zone as a prison, and only the blood of a family member could open the gateway out of there. He opened the gateway, and I hitched a ride," Harry answered. "By the way, I'm sure you know who he is. He is now known as Superman."

Hermione's jaw dropped at that. "Superman saved you from an intergalactic prison that his father built?" she asked.

"Yes, that sounds about right," Harry confirmed. "Also, I should probably mention that no one aged in the Phantom Zone. We had no need of food or water either. Time had no meaning. That didn't mean a year went by quickly there though. If anything, it felt much longer."

"I suppose you know Emrys too," Hermione remarked.

In response, Harry reached into his pocket and removed his mask. He held it up so that she could see it.

"You are Emrys?" she asked, clearly not expecting that.

"Given that I wore the mark of the Deathly Hallows, I thought you would have known," he admitted.

"The mark came about because of the Deathly Hallows, but there have been cults and dark wizards to wear it as well," she pointed out. "Anyways, the Daily Prophet has kept quiet about Emrys since the article was printed. Apparently, the ICW has been having debates about what to do. The last time I saw Kingsley, he told me that they were demanding that he send aurors over to Metropolis and apprehend him. I heard that he told them _no_ in a very impolite manner."

"That's because he knows that I am Emrys," Harry told her. "He's too smart. I had to go to him to set everything up. Luna is the only other one that definitely knows my secrets. George and Ollivander at least know I'm still alive though."

"Why didn't you come to me?" she asked, a look of hurt in her eyes.

Taking a deep breath he explained how much the world had changed since he was gone, along with how he had taken everything Andromeda had told him at face value.

She seemed to be understanding when he was done talking.

"So, when do we return?" she finally asked.

That question surprised Harry.

"We?" he asked.

"I'm coming with you to Kansas, of course," she said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I know that you've been told about Ron by now. Honestly, I need to get away from this whole place for a while."

"Fawkes," Harry said, seeing there was nothing further he could say. Fawkes flame traveled to his side instantly. "Fawkes, can you take Hermione to the house after she packs?" A musical tune came from the majestic phoenix immediately.

"It seems there have been more developments recently," Hermione said, staring at the phoenix that she had not seen since Dumbledore's funeral.

"I'll tell you everything when you arrive. Feel free to take your time. My familiar can find my anywhere. That's the only way I can be found with magic, actually," Harry told her. Much like a place could become unplottable, a person could become something similar to it. It rendered tracking charms of all kinds null and void. Not even owls could find him. It was a necessary action since he was supposed to be dead.

"I'll see you soon then," she promised.

"Be warned," Harry cautioned her. "Bill and Fleur will be stopping by my place in the near future, and Gabrielle is living there as a favor from Fleur."

She did not look too bothered by it, though she was not too pleased to hear that she would be around another Weasley. After Ron cheated on her, her relationship with his family had suffered.

With that done, Harry told her one last thing before he flame traveled away. "Oh, and my survival and secret identity should be kept secret. Do not tell anyone." And knowing her, he knew she would do as he asked.

* * *

Author's Note: This story may feel a little slow at this point, but things will be picking up soon. I needed to bring Bill, Fleur, Gabrielle, and Hermione into the story early on because of their roles.

I've had people question my intention for the pairing recently, so I thought I'd address it. There will be a second girl added to the pairing later on. I am still debating between a few girls. In a couple chapters, I'll put up a poll with 2 or 3 different choices and get your opinions on it. However, I want to run the current poll a little longer first.

I can't help but feel as though I wanted to say something else. Oh well. It can't have been that important. Thanks for reading and reviewing.


	3. Changes

**3. Changes**

_-May 4, 2007_

After his next meeting with Tess, Harry made his way to the Kent Farm. Clark would still be at the Daily Planet, but Zatanna had told him that she was going to hang out with Kara for a little while. Unlike Clark, Kara did not really have a job. She had made public appearances but was generally thought of as taking care of the Kent Farm while Martha was in Washington and Clark was working at the Daily Planet. It made her cover rather easily to use.

Upon arriving, Harry saw that Kara was actually somewhat in disguise. He had given her a ring that he had charmed. It would change the wearer's hair brown. It only worked as long as it was worn, but it was useful for her disguise. She was not wearing her glasses though, but Harry was the same way about wearing his glasses. Unless there was someone around that was supposed to be fooled into thinking he needed glasses, he was not going to wear them.

He was almost to the barn when he saw that Kara and Zatanna were not alone. Megan Morse, or Miss Martian, was with them.

"Harry, I was wondering when you'd show up," Kara greeted, hugging him energetically.

He hugged her back briefly. She seemed to regard him almost like a brother or cousin.

"It's good to see you, Kara. And you too, Megan," Harry greeted.

"Kara invited me over and John didn't seem to mind," Megan explained, looking a little shy.

"That's good to hear," Harry said, smiling. Her shy demeanor had caught him off guard before, but he was getting used to it.

"Not going to say anything to me?" Zatanna asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I was just saving the best for last," Harry answered with a grin, making her roll her eyes. "How are things going for you girls?"

"We were just talking a little," she replied. "I hope you don't mind, but we were going to spend a little more time together. It's been a while since I've really spent time with them."

"That's fine," Harry said, shaking his head. It was at times like that when he wished he had a friend of his own that he could do the same with. Clark and John were friends, but they both worked quite a bit. That was one reason he was going to be glad when Hermione showed up. She had gotten Fawkes to deliver a message to him saying that she would be there the next Monday though, so he still had a couple days.

"Are you sure?" she asked, growing concerned.

"I'm sure," Harry replied with a smile. "Don't worry so much, Zee. I have something I need to do anyways."

He almost flame traveled away at that point, but then he remembered how it had affected John. Flame traveling near him had caused John to involuntarily shapeshift into his true form. As a phoenix animagus, he could become something that had extremely close ties to the weakness of all Martians.

So instead, he used apparition.

The last thing he saw before he vanished was Zatanna's disbelieving look and the worry in Kara's eyes.

* * *

Harry reappeared at his warehouse in Metropolis. It had served as his original headquarters, Sylvester Pemberton's home, and the temporary headquarters of the Justice Society of America until Zatanna could move Brownstone out of Metropolis. But it had been a place for Harry to go for some alone time for a few weeks now.

As soon as he arrived, he made his way over to one of the punching bags that he had set up and began to hit it with his full strength. His eyes had shifted from green to gold. It was unusual, but the shift in eye color was related to his animagus transformation.

Ever since he figured out how to do the transformation, he had found that he could draw upon the powers of a phoenix while in his human form. The golden eyes were the only outward sign of it. His strength and durability seemed to increase quite a bit, and he also gained both an acute affinity for fire-based magic and invulnerability to all fire. While using its powers, he had found that not even fiendfyre could harm him.

With every punch that he landed, Harry could feel his frustration melting away. When it came down to it, Harry hated to be alone. His time in the Phantom Zone had made him feel that way. He did not blame Zatanna for wanting to spend time with her other friends for a change. If anyone was to blame, it was him. He had not made many friends since coming to Metropolis. He was not close to anyone except Clark, John, Zatanna, and Kara. Luna was out of town at the moment, and Hermione was not ready to move yet, so he did not even have any old friends he could spend time with.

Distractions were the only way to keep from wallowing in his dislike for being alone, which was why he visited the warehouse any time Zatanna had something else she needed to do.

As he delivered a punch that was able to take the punching bag off the chain, Harry heard clapping.

Turning, he saw that Oliver had decided to pay him a visit.

"What do you want?" Harry asked, looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"No need to get angry," Oliver told him. "We might not get along after everything, but I do respect you."

"Is that why you tried to buy controlling interest of Marauder Industries from Tess?" Harry asked dryly.

"I'll admit that I would have liked to have some form of leverage over you," Oliver confessed. "However, it's a moot point since she would not sell it."

"What do you want?" Harry asked again, in no mood to play around.

"I think we need to talk," Oliver admitted after a moment of silence. "We haven't gotten along recently. Not since before you spoke to Roy."

"Is that why you tried to get Tess to sell her share of Marauder Industries?" Harry asked dryly.

"I was not aware that you and Zatanna collectively owned sixty-six percent of the company until I made the offer," Oliver told him. "All I knew was that Tess was in charge of a business that would have been a good investment."

Harry did not say anything. He could tell that Oliver was telling the truth.

"But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about," Oliver said, shaking his head. "I wanted to clear the air between us. I can see why you did what you did. You didn't have to tell me about it or ask my permission. Roy wasn't my ward or anything. I may have helped get him off the streets, but it was just mentor and disciple for a few months. He was always meant for more than just being a sidekick."

"I should have told you," Harry admitted. "It just never crossed my mind. I knew what we needed, and I didn't care about the consequences. I hope we can let bygones be bygones."

"I'd like that. And now with that out of the way, I should tell you a little more about my plans for the League," Oliver said, looking relieved to be off that topic. "I think the system of full and reserve members needs to go. Every member should be considered a full member for now on."

"And what about those of us that cannot fully commit to the League?" Harry asked seriously.

"My idea was to have the League consisting of seven or eight core members and the others being full members but more or less only being on call in case things got out of hand," Oliver explained.

"So you want everyone but seven or eight people to basically become reserve members, though they would be recognized as full members?" Harry asked in surprise.

"That is correct," Oliver confirmed. "I thought that the core members should be Clark, John, Bart, Victor, Arthur, and me. That still leaves room for one or two more core members, in case you're interested."

Harry had a good feeling that he understood Oliver's motives for those choices. By choosing those people, a mission that required the core members would not leave Metropolis or Star City unprotected since other members would still be there.

"If you're really looking for one or two more core members, then maybe you should start looking elsewhere," Harry suggested. "I have plans of my own. You'll know more soon. But there are other heroes out there that might fit among the core members better."

"You mean Batman and Wonder Woman?" Oliver asked, raising an eyebrow.

"There's also the second Green Lantern," Harry pointed out. Those three were some of the best choices as far as he could see. He did not see Batman actually committing yet though. At best, he might choose to be one of the lesser members for a while. Zatanna had told him that Batman was overly cautious, after all.

"I'll consider approaching them," Oliver told him. "I don't suppose I could convince you to tell me what this plan of yours is, can I?"

Harry just smiled. "Let's just say that I'm putting together a team that will handle special tasks that the JSA and the League are not equipped to deal with."

"I'll leave you to it then," Oliver said, turning his back to the wizard and making his way out of the warehouse.

Once he was gone, Harry decided to head out and start working on the creation of Godric's Sanctum.

* * *

When he returned to the Sanctum that evening and Harry saw Zatanna waiting for him, he knew that she was not exactly happy.

"Harry, are you okay?" she asked. Concern was the last thing he expected at that moment, but he recognized the look in her eyes and the inflection in her tone perfectly.

"I'll be fine," he told her, knowing better than to lie. "It's nothing to worry about. As you know, I haven't had the most stable life. I guess I've just gotten used to having someone around to keep me company at all times. I just need to adjust."

"I would have stayed with you if you had asked," she told him sincerely.

"But I did not want to ask," he stated. "You need interaction with other people. I understand that. It all worked out in the end anyways. Oliver stopped by the warehouse earlier, and we got to talking. After that, I did a little more work on Godric's Sanctum."

"What happened?" she asked, clearly curious about his conversation with Oliver.

They talked about how their days went for the next hour, only stopping so that Zatanna could get ready for her show.

After she left, Harry headed down to the lab to see how things were going.

He could not help but be surprised by what he saw when he reached the lab. Gabrielle was still brewing potions.

She was so focused that she did not even notice him.

Andromeda moved towards him and spoke quietly so as to not attract her attention. "That is the twentieth cauldron that she's brewed today. If she works any harder, she's going to pass out."

Harry looked surprised to hear that. It would take ten hours to brew that many cauldrons of Invigoration Draught. It was hard for him to fathom how she could brew for that long in a single day.

"She started off brewing two potions at a time but stopped after her twelfth potion," she added, seeing the look in his eyes. "It can be tiring to brew two potions at the same time, so I was impressed by how long she lasted."

"Once that potion is finished, call it a night," Harry called out. He knew all about what Andromeda was talking about. He had brewed two potions at a time before, so he knew how tiring it could be. "Meet me in the library when you're done. Your first lesson will take place as soon as you arrive. It shouldn't take too much out of you."

The shock that had come across her face was wiped away by the news that he was actually going to start teaching her.

And with that, he headed up to the library and began searching for his books on Occlumency so that he could start his first lesson with Gabrielle.

* * *

After he was done with Gabrielle's first Occlumency lesson, Harry put on his suit and headed to Metropolis.

He did not just go to get some work done though. The first thing he did after showing up was to seek out Clark.

Clark no longer wore anything that resembled street clothes while acting the part of Superman. Instead, he wore a suit of red boots, blue pants, a red belt, a long-sleeved blue shirt with the Mark of El on its chest, and a red cape with the Mark of El on it. The suit fit snugly but not uncomfortably. From what Harry had been told, the suit was actually made using advanced Kryptonian technology by Raya. She actually used S.T.A.R. Labs to create it. It was pretty much indestructible. Not even Kryptonite could penetrate it. It did not protect him from being in the vicinity of Kryptonite, however, and it could not protect his hands or head since they were not covered by the suit.

"Having fun?" Harry asked as he walked up to Clark.

"It looks to be a slow night," Clark replied, scanning the horizon.

"How have things been closer to home?" Harry asked curiously.

"Things have been going well," Clark told him, seeing that he was not there simply to say _hi_. "Kara has really gotten the hang of her powers recently and seems to enjoy being Supergirl. She took the night off to see Zatanna's show though. From what Lionel has told me, Lex is almost ready to take control of LuthorCorp again. Unfortunately, it seems that he doesn't trust Lionel. It's quite possible that he suspects that Lionel had something to do with his memory loss. He has not done anything suspicious, however."

"It's good to hear that she's enjoying it," Harry said with a smile. He was not surprised by the news about Lex. Lionel had told him the same news a few days ago. The important thing was that he was not acting too suspicious. "And have you spoken with Lana since she returned?"

Clark looked like he did not want to dwell on that matter, but he did answer. "Yes, I spoke with her. We had a difference of opinion on her decision to fake her death. We don't see each other too often anymore, but we have our own lives now. I'm Superman, and she's running the Isis Foundation. The Clark and Lana chapter of our lives is over."

"Tomorrow, we should hang out," Harry suggested. "It's been a while since I've just had some fun. With someone other than Zatanna, at least."

"Drop by the farm tomorrow," Clark said with a smile. "I'll invite John as well. I'm sure we'll find something to do."

"Maybe I'll introduce you to Wizards' Chess while we're at it," Harry remarked. He did have a set at the Sanctum with pieces for two players, after all. He had gotten the set so that he could play with Zatanna, but they always found other things to do. She absolutely loved to fly on his Firebolt.

"I'll see you then," Clark said before flew up into the air. "But for now, I've got a job to do." He flew off as soon as he said those words.

It was a good thing that Harry had made the area soundproof while they were talking. Otherwise, someone could have easily learned who Superman, Supergirl, and possibly Arcana really were.

* * *

Over in London, the Wizengamot was meeting for their monthly session. The heads of every notable magical family was present, along with the Chief Warlock and the most important members of the Ministry of Magic.

Perhaps the most important people in the room were Kingsley Shacklebolt, Arthur Weasley, Gawain Roberts, and Amos Diggory. Respectively, they were the Minister For Magic, the Head of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement, the Head of the Auror Department, and the Chief Warlock.

The first part of the meeting had been fairly routine, but now the topic was a matter that everyone had expected for a while.

"The next order of business is the request that the International Confederation of Wizards put forth to apprehend the individuals known as _Emrys_ and _Arcana_," Diggory said, getting everyone's undivided attention. "As a reminder, the ICW requested that we send aurors or hit wizards to apprehend both individuals. Before we take a vote, I will allow a few people to make their opinions known on the matter."

Kingsley was the first person to make his opinion known.

"It is not our place to interfere in the affairs of another nation. If the ICW wants Emrys and Arcana to be taken care of, then they should handle it themselves. We do not need to bring ourselves into conflict with those two. Neither one of them has ever be seen using wands. That simple fact should worry us."

There were quite a few people that seemed to agree with Kingsley, but the majority did not.

"The fact remains that these two individuals pose an insurmountable danger to our society," Draco Malfoy disagreed, shaking his head. "Perhaps the ICW should take care of it, but it has fallen to us to deal with."

At least half of the people seemed to agree with Draco's point of view.

A number of men and women voiced their agreement with one or the other.

Finally, Diggory spoke. "Both sides have excellent points. I would like to take a vote on whether we should abide by the ICW's request."

In the end, less than fifty percent voted to abide by the request. Thirty percent voted against it. And the rest were neutral.

"It's decided. We will send someone to take them in," Diggory said, ending the meeting.

* * *

Author's Note: This chapter was more of a filler than I typically do, which is part of the reason I added the last scene to the chapter. I'm reminded as to why I'm not a big fan of writing chapters like this. It was harder for me to write than any previous chapter. That's why it wasn't finished last night. I'll need to stay away from chapters like this in the future.

Anyways, I've narrowed the second girl in the pairing down to two girls. They are Gabrielle Delacour and Tess Mercer. I have a poll up on my profile so you can give me your input.

Thanks for reading and reviewing.


	4. Encounters

**4. Encounters**

The weekend actually went fairly well for Harry. He ended up spending time with Clark and John during the days, Gabrielle during the evenings, and Zatanna at night after his time as Emrys came to an end.

Harry had primarily started to teach Gabrielle to alleviate boredom and to prevent her from overworking herself. But he had quickly discovered that she actually had considerable potential. She had picked up Occlumency and Legilimency much faster than he had, thanks to her veela nature. He had also seen that her mastery of fire-based spells was about equal to his own. The moment he drew upon his phoenix powers, however, his mastery exceeded her own.

Her main problem was that she had little to no experience with wandless magic. She was able to create fireballs wandlessly thanks to her veela heritage, but that was about it.

Still, Harry saw potential in her.

But now, Harry was getting ready for Hermione to show up. At any moment, she could arrive.

"Why is it that you never actually talk about your friends?" Zatanna asked suddenly. "You told me all about your adventures, but you never really talked about your friends."

"I don't like to talk about people that I'm unlikely to ever see again," Harry admitted. "But it won't hurt to talk about Hermione since she'll be coming here soon."

She looked understanding and patiently waited for him to speak.

So Harry started to tell her a little about Hermione, from their first meeting up to the encounter with the troll and beyond.

"You don't make friends like most people do, do you?" she asked in amusement.

"Where would the fun be in that?" he asked with a laugh. "I've never done anything normal. Haven't you noticed?"

She could not argue there. A smile came to her face and she asked about his other years. After all, he had only told her about his first year at Hogwarts with Hermione.

He did not get a chance to answer her question, however.

In the form of flames, Fawkes and Hermione arrived not too far from them. In her arms, Hermione was carrying her baby girl.

"Hello Hermione," Harry greeted with a smile. "I'd like to introduce you to my girlfriend, Zatanna Zatara."

His old friend looked surprised by the introduction, but she gladly introduced herself and began to talk to Zatanna about everything.

At some point, Harry found that he was holding Rose while Hermione decided to get to know his girlfriend.

He was not the best when it came to children, but he did not mind in the least.

* * *

Getting everything set up for Hermione was not a problem in the least. She was staying in the house until she could get a place of her own. While she stayed there, Gabrielle was staying at the Sanctum.

Although things seemed to be going about as well as could be expected on that front, it seemed that there were complications in other aspects of Harry's life.

He did not go on actual patrols too often, but he decided to go on one with Zatanna that night. Halfway through the patrol, Harry detected something with his Mage Sight.

"Arcana, get ready," Harry said quietly, immediately catching her attention. "There are eight magic-users headed our way."

She looked startled by his words but stayed calm.

Within moments, eight aurors showed up. Harry instantly recognized Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, Cormac McLaggen, and Susan Bones among them. The others were unknown to him.

"Stop right there!" Cormac yelled as they surrounded Harry and Zatanna. "You two are under arrest."

"Under whose authority?" Harry asked dryly. He was not concerned in the least. They had no idea who they were dealing with.

"The British Ministry of Magic," he answered, pointing his wand at Harry.

"You have no authority here," Harry stated, releasing a fraction of his power. It seemed to catch them off guard. The only one that seemed to adjust to it was Susan. She had seemed uncertain about the encounter from the moment that she arrived, however.

"The ICW has requested that we bring you in, and the Wizengamot has ordered us to abide by the request," Susan said, earning a couple glares from the other aurors. Harry could hear disapproval in her voice.

"I look forward to talking to the Department of Magical Affairs about this," Harry remarked.

That casual tone seemed to irritate most of the aurors, but they did not have a chance to react.

"Dnuob yb leets," Zatanna intoned.

All of the sudden, the unknown aurors were bound in chains.

Harry, on the other hand, simply summoned the wands of the four other aurors and then threw a stunner at Cormac.

Zabini and Nott looked startled when they saw that so many of the others were taken out. They were unable to do anything as they were stunned as well.

One by one, Harry stunned the bound aurors until Susan was the only one left.

"You're quick," Susan said, looking at Harry curiously. "You have incredible wandless and non-verbal, and your friend clearly uses some kind of wandless magic that uses backwards incantations. I knew it wouldn't end well for us, but you're even better than I expected."

"You're smarter than they are, Miss Bones," Harry replied before he tossed the four wands to Susan. "Report the failure back to Shacklebolt. I will be talking to the Secretary of Magic, so be prepared for anything."

"I'll do that," she promised.

Just a moment later, Harry touched Zatanna's arm and flame traveled back to the Sanctum.

* * *

Needless to say, the next day brought conflict between the International Confederation of Wizards and the Department of Magical Affairs. For attempting to abduct someone that was not a wand-carrier and lived in a nation that was not part of their group, the ICW was in trouble. Only a few nations outside of Europe were part of the ICW, so their actions against an American citizen stirred up plenty of trouble for them. Given that the Department of Magical Affairs was part of the non-magical government of the United States of America, there were even bigger ramifications.

Harry did not particularly care about all that though. He would let the governments deal with the ICW. All he really cared about was getting everything ready for his new team. He had finished the basic construction of the White Tower, the Black Tower, Godric's Sanctum, and the Vault. All that was left was to bring Bill and Fleur in so that they could finish those buildings and change the Sanctum into Sanctuary.

"Things have been interesting for you, it seems," Hermione remarked as she looked at her copy of the Daily Prophet. Apparently, she had a vanishing chest that had its twin back in England and could receive mail through it.

"Of course," Harry agreed. It had not be a surprise, but the incident had been somewhat interesting. He was just glad that they had not thought to send all of their aurors after him at once. As strong as he was, he could have been defeated if the numbers had been too great. Actually, eight aurors would have been enough if they had gotten the drop on him and bombarded him with stunners instead of talking.

He was not complaining about their lack of efficiency though. He did not want to get caught, after all.

"I've been thinking," Hermione began, immediately getting his attention. "I'd like to help you out, but I don't really want to start working again until Rose is older."

"You don't have to work," Harry told her. "I'm sure I can think of other things that I could use more than money." Having someone with her knowledge would be more useful to him than a little money. There was no denying that simple fact. "If you want to help me out, maybe you can help me out as Emrys. I'm not asking you to help me on patrols or anything. I have Zatanna, and eventually Gabrielle, for that. But I might need you to do certain spells or look things figure out some things for me. It would be a great help."

"I can do that," she told him with a smile.

It was just a start, but Harry could already see the foundations of the team he had envisioned.

* * *

Author's Note: Here's the next chapter. Sorry about the shortness. It was another difficult one for me to do. It doesn't help that I have another idea that was stopping me from focusing too much on that. I'll need to actually write some of this HP/Marvel idea, even if it's just to get it out of the way. If I like it, I might put it up. I'll just have to see.

Anyways, the next few chapters will be about setting up the formation of the Justice League Dark.

Thanks for reading and reviewing.


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